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Create the Future

A Material World

Season 1
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From swimsuits and coffee cups to quantum computers and medicines, materials science – the “middle of the Venn diagram between chemistry, engineering, and physics” – enables all the products, substances, and general ‘stuff’ with which we interact every day.

But what makes for a good material? What makes a material ‘smart’, for that matter? And, while new, more advanced materials can help to power industries far into the future, at what cost do we make them more complex, and less degradable?

Joining us in our ‘materials’ episode of Create the Future are materials experts Anna Ploszajski, materials scientist and research fellow at the Institute of Making at University College London; and Tim Minshall, Professor of Innovation and Head of the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge.


New episodes of ‘Create the Future: An Engineering Podcast’ every other Tuesday. www.qeprize.org/podcasts

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More episodes

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  • 32. The Future of Digital Twin Hearts

     25:24
    In the future, virtual models of our organs could aid the development of personalised medicine.⁠ These digital twins can be experimented on to identify the best possible treatment, without you having to go near a pill or surgeon’s knife.Host Roma Agrawal gets to the heart of the matter with:Roger Highfield, Science Director at the Science Museum, and author of Virtual You: How Building Your Digital Twin Will Revolutionize Medicine and Change Your Life.Dr Jazmín Aguado Sierra, the first engineer to model their own heart. See Jazmin's complex and beautiful large-scale virtual model at the Science Museum now.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.

  • 31. The Future of Fire Safety

     28:42
    What does the UK national anthem have to do with fire safety? And who is responsible for preventing fires of the future?Guru Madhavan - senior director of programs of the US National Academy of Engineering - chairs his first edition of Create The Future. His red hot guests are structural fire engineering expert Professor Luke Bisby, and fire safety engineer Professor Jose Torero Cullen.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

  • 30. The Future Of Sports Engineering

     26:57
    Have you ever paused to think about the maths, physics, and engineering behind your favourite piece of sporting equipment? Be it BMX, football boot, shuttlecock, or snowboard?Could engineers be the driving force behind the new sports of the future? What is Sports Engineering anyway?!George Imafidon - Extreme E race engineer - kicks-off a conversation with:Godfather of Sports Engineering Steve Haake, and Editor of Sports Engineering journal Thomas Allen.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

  • 29. The Future of Space Telescopes

     31:54
    Space telescopes don't just observe space, they’re located in space. The Hubble Telescope (1990) and the James Webb Space Telescope (2021) marked major turning points in our quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe. So just how big, how far, how powerful can the next telescopes go?Host Roma Agrawal zooms into this topic with the help of:Garth Illingworth, recipient of the 2016 American Astronomical Society Lancelot M. Berkeley New York Community Trust Prize for his work on the most-distant galaxies viewed with Hubble.Jonathan Lunine, part of the science team for the James Webb Space Telescope.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.

  • 28. The Future of Cameras

     33:01
    Cameras are so integrated into our existence - via smart phones - that it's easy these days to give them little thought. But the technology is changing - and fast. From AI-powered cameras to 3D imaging and virtual reality experiences, the possibilities are endless.Roma Agrawal hosts a snappy conversation to get a snapshot of the future with:Geoff Belknap, historian of photography and Keeper of Science & Technology at National Museums Scotland.Abhijeet Ghosh, professor of Graphics & Imaging at Imperial College London.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.

  • 27. The Future of Repairs

     32:43
    Do you know how to fix a kettle? Or your smartphone? Or a lightsaber, for that matter?Professor Mark Miodownik (UCL Mechanical Engineering) believes we urgently need a "repairability revolution" to reduce the vast quantities of electrical and electronic waste produced each year. He chats to host Roma Agrawal MBE.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

  • 26. The Future (& History) of Time & Watchmaking

     23:59
    The invention of timepieces was arguably more significant for humanity than the printing press or the wheel. So, how has timekeeping evolved over 40,000 years? How has it shaped society? And how will we keep track of time when our species starts to live on Mars?Do make time for this whistle-stop journey through the evolution of time-telling. Watchmaker and historian Rebecca Struthers, author of 'Hands of Time' speaks to host Roma Agrawal MBE.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Photography by Andy Pilsbury.

  • 25. The Future Of Motorsports Engineering

     39:24
    What innovations from F1 impact our daily lives? Just how far can engineers push race cars? Is the motorsport industry the fastest and most effective R&D lab in the world?Our podcast host George Imafidon is a Performance Engineer with Team X44, Sir Lewis Hamilton's electric race team, as well as a board member at The Hamilton Commission.Joining George for a pitstop and a chat are:Wavey Dynamics' Jahee Campbell- Brennan, an Automotive Engineer.Dr Kit Chapman, science historian and author of "Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World".New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.

  • 24. The Future Of Green Hydrogen

     35:51
    Made exclusively with renewable power, green hydrogen is emerging as a promising alternative to polluting fossil fuels. Is green hydrogen the fuel of the future? And what are the potential pitfalls?Joining host George Imafidon are:Caroline Hargrove, CTO for Ceres Power, who were awarded the 2023 MacRobert Award by the Royal Academy of Engineering for "ground-breaking fuel cell technology that promises to make a major contribution to decarbonising the world at the scale and pace required to save the planet."Michaela Kendall, co-founder of fuel cell pioneers Adelan, and UK Hydrogen Champion for Mission Innovation at BEIS.New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.